Apparatus for closing hermetical boxes or the like



Dec. 30, 1 924. 1,520,881

N. J. .NIELSEN APPARATUS FOR CLOSING HERMET-ICAL BOXES OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 27, 1922 2 Shaets-Sfieet 1 I I2 25 time-A96? 7 Mao) rW Dec. 30, 1924.

N. J. NIELSEN APPARATUS FOR CLOSING HERMETICAL BOXES OR THE LIKE Sheets-She et 2 Filed Nov. 27 :L I E i Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

uurrso s'ra'rss NIELS JONAS NIELSEN,

or AARHUS, DENMARK.

APPARATUS FOR CLOSING HERMETICAL BOXES OR THE LIKE.

Application filed November 27,1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Boit known that I, NIELs J ONAS NIELSEN, era's Frederiksgade, Aarhus, in'the King- (lom of Denmark, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Apparatus for Closing Hermetical Boxes or the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My present invention concerns the closing of hermetical boxes or the like and has for its object to perform the closing in such a way that each box at the closing moment, becomes evacuated of air and hence the conservein the box is protected against mould.

My invention is by way of an example diagrammatically shown on the drawing.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a form of anapparatus in avertieal section and a plane view respectively. To be more explicit Fig. 1 shows the evacuated system developed. Fig. 3 shows a vertical section rectangular .to that of Fig. 1.

The apparatus comprises a cylinder 7 enclosing a'turnable table. This table consists ofan upper plate 8 and a lower plate 80 with even situated openings, forming a number of places for boxes 9 or the like. Above and below the cylinder 7 and somewhat overlapping it there are two other cylinders 10 and 11 respectively each enclosing a turnable table 12 and 13, respectively, with a corresponding number of boxplaces. The cylinders 10 and 11 communicate with the cylinder 7 through openings permitting a box to fall through. The table 8, 80 passes close to these openings. The shafts of the three tables have suitable members 14, 15 and 16, respectively, permitting them to be turned by cams or the like 17, 18 and 19 respectively on a common shaft 20 in such a way that the tables by a revolution or a certain part of a revolution of the shaft 20, are turned a boxplace forward causing a box to fall from the cylinder'lO down on an empty boxplace in the table 8, 80 and a closed box to fall from this table down in the cylinder '11. The cylinder 10communicates with'a transport belt or the like 21 for the filled boxes, which are to be closed, the cylinder 11 communicates with a tran port belt or the like 22 for the closed boxes, and the cylinder 7 is by a conduit 23 connected with a suitable vacuum source.

Speaking for instance about boxes for sweetened condensed milk, filled into the Serial No. 603,721..

box through a small aperture, I prefer to close this aperture bythe solder button described inmy copending application, Serial N 0. 603,722, filed November 27, 1922. Before the closing the solder button is fixed on'the box near the aperture, e. g. in an oblique position, being soldered on a point of its circumference or otherwise. The solder button will in that way stand ajar. The full boxes with the solder buttons ajar are one by one delivered from the belt 21 to an opening in the top of the cylinder 10.

This cylinder, acting as an air sluice before the evacuated cylinder 7, has a lower air pressure than that of the atmosphere and the air in the box will therefore be somewhat thinned. As the boxes one by one arrive at the above mentioned opening communicating with the cylinder 7, they fall down on an empty place on the table 8, 80 where they are exposed to the desired degree of vacuum, and with the corresponding degree of evacuation they arrive at the boxplace 90. Here they are closed e. g. by the mechanism shown in Fig. 3.

This mechanism consists of a hollow soldering bolt 24, electrically heated and coacting with a central pressure pin 25.

The soldering bolt is periodically lifted'by levers 26 and rods 27, actuated by a cam 28 on the shaft 20. Further, the soldering bolt is rotated by means of cog wheels or friction discs 29 and 30, the last mentioned of which is turned from the shaft 20 by mlgans of worm and worm wheel or the li e.

Directly before each turning of the table 8, 80 the soldering bolt'is lifted so as to enable the box just closed to leave, and a new'box with the solder button ajar to enter the soldering position. Directly after the turning of the table the soldering bolt is lowered; owing to its heat the solder button firstly falls down on the aperture and secondly owing to the rotation of the soldering-vbolt thesolder and flux are quickly and evenly distributed.

After the buttons have been soldered the boxes pass to the above mentioned opening,

communicating with the cylinder 11, and

The belts are constantlymoved, and when for instance a box is pushed into the apparatus, the belt 21 moves all the boxes stand"- ing on it, but when the box has reached its place in the apparatus, it stops the following boxes on the still moving belt until it is turned away, thus giving room for another box.

I claim:

1. In apparatus forclosing hermetically sealed boxes, the combination with a vacuum chamber having a rotatable disk adapted to support a box while the latter is being sealed, of air sluices situated above and below the said vacuum chamber and having rotatable disks mounted therein, the disk in one of said sluices being adapted to drop abox onto the disk of the vacuum chamber, and the disk in the other one of said air sluices being adapted to receive a sealed box dropped from the rotatable disk of the vacu um chamber, and means for rotating said disks in timed relation.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the air sluices are in communication with the vacuum chamber, so that the air sluices are also under reduced pressure.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for rotating the disks includes cams mounted on a common shaft, said cams being adapted to intermittently move the disks forward.

4. An apparatus for sealing receptacles ea set the same onto the turntable of the vacua um chamber, means for intermittently ro tating the last mentioned-turn table, and a discharge sluice way arranged below the vacuum chamber and having a turn table adapted to receive and carry receptacles dropped in the vacuum chamber, and means for moving the last mentioned turn table step by step.

An apparatus as claimed in claim 4: in which the receptacle sealing means includes a bolt movable toward and away from the vacuum chamber, means for heating said bolt, means for rotating the bolt, and means for intermittently raising and lowering said bolt,

In witness whereof ll subscribe my signature,

NIELS JQNAS NIELSEN, 

